Air conditioning is actually a pretty new invention. If you think you can't live without it, you would be mistaken. Even the elderly and the young can do well without air conditioning. There were certain things that people before today did to stay cool in the summer. They didn't have AC, electric fans, etc.
We will often pull cool water out of our well and pour it over our heads. Well water kept in the ground is always cool in the summer. Before we go to bed, we will take a cold shower and it feels great and that lets us sleep soundly without being uncomfortable.
But when the heat is really on during the day, we head to the creek.
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Looks beautiful down there, and I bet it's very refreshing! Thanks for sharing..
Yes but here in central Texas it gets HOT! Lol maybe not as hot as Arizona but I can't imagine August and September without it. This year we went until mid may without it but then I caved. Lol even if just at night. Even with the a/c we still spend a lot of time at the creek or the grandparents pool.
Hello, I am new to this and I would like to know How to follow you on Steemit. I follow you on You tube and twitter.
Just hit that follow button at the top right of my page! Thanks for watching! It means a lot!
One thing not mentioned is sleeping porches. Back in the day, some of the larger houses down south had sleeping porches with daybeds. Everyone slept outside in the summer to take advantage of the cooler night time air. In Greece and in parts of the Middle East, they sleep on the rooftops in summer.
That's so true! Good suggestion! Thanks for watching!
i love your channel zack it is cool how you and your family live
Thanks for watching! It means a lot. You are appreciated. Welcome to STEEMIT!
we're in Georgia (our first summer here, moved down from Minnesota) and we're still going strong without the AC! Everyone we know has had theirs running since May or so. The problem here really isn't the heat, it's the humidity. 85° and 80%+ humidity gets uncomfortable, but as long as the fans are on, it's bearable!
Great JOB! You guys are hardcore. I did my basic training at Ft Benning in the summer...that was HOT!
From what I recall from either a video or article somewhere, was that people also used to build their houses in ways to keep them cooler as well. The houses weren't as air tight as today and allowed more airflow. They also built two story houses with lots of windows on opposite sides of the house to catch the wind. They would then open the lower floor windows on the side of the house facing the wind, and the upper floor windows on the opposite side, to draw the heat out and replace it with the cool evening breeze. Don't remember what else there was, or where I saw it. If it turns out to be an older video if yours, I'll only be slightly embarrassed, lol.
Yep. I lived in one of those houses. It was built in the early 1900's. and must have been gorgeous when it was built. Horse hair plaster walls (which now are crumbling a bit) and lots of details you wouldn't expect like the door hinges have intricate designs on them. The downstairs has 9 foot ceilings which meant the rooms stayed cool for most of the summer and upstairs bedrooms had 7 foot ceilings which kept them warmish in the winter months. The biggest drawback to living in that house were the cold winters. Not much insulation, lots of cracks for fresh air to get in, and since it was a big old house it was expensive to heat. When we were awake and home, I had it set at 68 degrees and at night at 65 degrees F. (I tried 70 degrees one month after we moved in, and that $400 heating bill wasn't something a divorced mother of two could afford.)
Oh, and it had 3 porches. Since we lived in an old neighborhood, it was nice to sit out on our front porch and sometimes chat with folks that walked past. Definitely the way it should be.
you mean the crick over yonder way?
Where he drinks "Melk" and sleeps with a "Pellow."
Does going to the pool in the backyard count. We had to do that the other night after a hot summer day before bed.
So cool mr.
Yesterday, I was asking this very question. It was soooooooooo hot!
It doesn't always have to be a lot of water either, just the right situation. When I was a kid there was a place we would go camping, and there was a little stream coming down the mountain, like the ones that are only a foot or so wide.
This little waterfall was right where it fed into a small creek. The creek was down a slope, so if you went down there you weren't seen from ground level, and it fed into a culvert to go under the road. It could be 100 degrees out, and if you went down to that little area with the waterfall, it could almost get chilly.
Oh, that looks so HOT to me! I'd be in the shade, for sure. :) Water plus moving air plus shade is the answer when there's no A/C. It's true that people placed and designed their homes more thoughtfully when they had to.
Solution oriented people get this Resteemit for those high thinkers here!
That's great! Water and evaporative cooling is the way to go. My husband, @bluerthangreen thought we should set up some kind of sprinkler on the roof to keep our house cool. Wed have to recycle the water and pump it up, but I think it could work!
You're married to @bluerthangreen ? He's a pretty Kool guy. That deserves a follow!
Thanks! Yeah he's a good guy :) so many connections here on steemit . I love it! I have two brothers and my sister in law on here too
You are rolling 4 deep with the family on here. Nice! I just have my wife for family on here. I do have friends on here though that are closer than family in real life.
Great post! It is most definitely possible. We have never had AC in any of the places we've lived.
I would spend a lot of time at the creek. I like air conditioning considering all of this heat. I'm pretty sure that I would spend many a days there. Looks nice down there. Thanks for sharing
We are more adaptable than we realize. I have lived without air conditioning for over 17 years in Nebraska and Kansas. It can be done. I wet a small towel and put it on my shoulders on especially hot days. I get up early in the mornings and get the harder jobs done before the hottest part of the day. The evenings actually feel cooler because they are.....and I haven't been conditioned to unnaturally cold temperatures by AC. I eat less and lots of salads and veggies. My skin and organs get a natural detox with all the sweating and water I drink. I am not saying it is always easy but we save a ton of money by doing it. No air conditioner to repair or replace, so bonus.
You are tougher than me. Without a/c here in East Texas I would have to move. The darn 100% humidity does me in.
Yeah, I just couldn't live in Texas due to the heat. It's 70% humidity these days, at least in the mornings. But just an aside, isn't 100% humidity essentially mean that it is raining? :-) I always love it when the a weather webpage states that there is a "100% chance" of rain. If the percentage is 100%, then it is going to rain since there isn't a percentage of it not raining.
September will be here in no time (or at least I keep telling myself that)!
It basically is raining, just a rain that is suspended in the air and quickly attaches it self to you as you walk around. I am looking forward to the weather in September but this also means I go back to work (school teacher), it is a double edged sword.
Enjoy your summer! Teaching is hard work!
I used to give my wife crap about being a teacher and how she just went and hung out with kids all day, so easy. ITS NOT EASY! It is super stressful! Pay to stress is no where near even lol.
Agreed. And I would imagine it is even harder these days then when I worked with kids. I was a camp counselor for several years in the mid-80's, worked at various day cares in the early 90's when my first child was a baby, and then worked in the school system as an after-school teacher, just to name a few. Sadly, I watched as children at the elementary level were being lined up for their before lunch drugs. It was heartbreaking. Now with even more distractions, I cannot imagine how hard it is to keep a child's attention. Have a great summer!
My experience has always been that moving water is better than stagnant water. I grew up on a lake in MA and, while refreshing, it was like bath water by Aug. The rivers in NH, however, were always cool. That swimming hole looks great though!
Great video. I watched every minute of it while sitting in my window shaking ac blowing in my room. LOL I was trying simulate the feeling of being in the water with you guys. I was doing pretty good until that little kid scared me out of my chair.
Come to east Texas and work outside in this weather. You'll be soaking wet without the bucket. 100% humidity!